


Distractions

by Elivra



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Parents, Domestic Fluff, Established Levi/Erwin Smith, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 13:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14136795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elivra/pseuds/Elivra
Summary: Erwin Smith has a busy work day planned, but is quickly distracted.Some swearing, mostly cutesy stuff.





	Distractions

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this. I have several stories still waiting for me to work on them and a random tumblr post set me off on this tangent.
> 
> My first established!Eruri fic! Happy reading!

When the call came, he was in a meeting with his Site Leads, a very important one that he had been planning for since weeks. Just when he had settled into easy conversation and the meeting began to take a promising turn, there was an apologetic knock on the conference room door and Nifa poked her head in.

“Mr. Smith?” Her voice was even more distressed than her face. “I'm sorry, but it's an emergency.”

Erwin managed to appear calm. “Nifa, I'm sure-”

“Sir, it's the school.”

Erwin was standing before he realised it. With hurried apologies, several iterations of “It's my daughter, I'm terribly sorry,” Erwin left the office in the first Uber he could find, cursing internally that the school had to be so damn far away.

Once in the cab, he dialled the number he had saved in his contacts but never before seen in his phone's call register. When he explained who he was, the woman on the phone explained that Mikasa had been involved in an 'altercation’ of some sort and that she was unhurt. After the first wave of relief, Erwin felt a twinge of annoyance. The meeting he had bailed on would not be rescheduled for another year.

He called home for good measure and when he heard the expected recording, left a terse message. “It's me. I'm heading to the school now, she's fine but in trouble at the Principal’s office. I'll call you after.”

He spent his cab ride restlessly, checking his emails, calling Nile for an update and sending intermittent instructions to Nifa. He was acutely aware of the extra expense this cab ride had turned out to be. He had set aside emergency expenses in his carefully planned household budget and yet he had a nagging feeling that this did not qualify as an emergency somehow.

And where the hell was Levi?

The amount he paid the driver at the end of his trip was not unexpected, nonetheless, he had to fight to hide the scowl on his face. Nile sent him a message about the meeting’s proceedings, making him regret leaving it more than ever. And so, when he walked into the colourful corridor of the school, he was in a bad mood indeed.

He headed straight for the Principal's office and was surprised to find only other parents there. When he walked up to the receptionist, she did a double-take.

“I'm here for Mikasa Ackerman.”

“Oh. Um, oh! Of course, um…?”

“Erwin Smith. I'm her guardian and I was called?”

She shuffled the papers on her desk hurriedly, cheeks reddening. “O-of course, Mr. Smith. Mikasa is in time-out. I'll have her brought here.”

With a small sigh, he nodded and settled into an empty chair, trying hard to ignore the curious stares of the mothers around him as he browsed his phone aimlessly.

When the little girl was brought in, he jumped to his feet, hurriedly appraising her appearance. Her favourite white dress with cherry prints was still pristine, her matching cherry hair clip was in its place. Her deadpan expression also remained, though her big grey eyes glimmered with worry.

And that was enough. All his irritation melted away and he outstretched his arms towards her and murmured softly, “Hey, little blossom. Are you hurt?”

Mikasa ran into his arms readily -another cause for concern -and shook her head. “My hand,” she whispered against his neck, and when Erwin looked at her clenched fists, he was alarmed to see something dark staining the knuckles of her right hand.

“Is that blood?” He asked sharply.

“It's not mine,” Mikasa assured him.

He glanced up at the teacher who had brought her in. “What happened?”

At that moment, the door to the inner office swung open. “Mr Smith? We're ready for you.”

Grasping Mikasa's left hand (she hated being carried in public), Erwin followed the Principal inside. Another parent was already seated in the office -a woman with 'soccer mom’ written all over her. When she saw Mikasa her eyes narrowed, and Erwin felt the little girl hunch closer to his legs. His anger began to stir.

The niceties were done quickly and Erwin asked again, “What happened?”

The woman, who had been fidgeting in silence, burst out, “Your girl attacked my son!”

The Principal sighed. “Mrs Woermann, please,” she said tiredly.

“She broke his nose! Look at her hands!”

Mikasa twitched in his lap and attempted to hide her hands in the folds of her frock. Erwin held them gently and her squirming stopped. He looked at the woman coldly, and was gratified when her mouth snapped shut.

The Principal took the lead. “Mr. Smith, first of all, we apologize for disrupting your day. I'm sure you're a busy man, but we couldn't reach Mr. Ackerman-”

“That's perfectly alright, Miss Carter.”

“Yes, well.” The woman adjusted her glasses. “Mikasa has always been a model student, if a little quiet. But violence of the sort we saw today is,” her eyes flitted to the girl in Erwin's lap, “a real cause for concern.”

“What happened, Miss Carter?” Erwin sighed.

“According to our report, Mikasa flew into a rage and attacked her fellow student in the middle of the playground. She had to be dragged forcibly off of him, at which point she verbally abused the teacher.” A pause, where she closed the file in front of her. “This behaviour, of course, can be corrected suitably, and since we've caught it at such a young age, the right morals can be inculcated. There are some anger management principles we can apply-”

“You're prescribing anger management for a seven year old.” It was a statement and his flat tone suggested his incredulity.

“Oh, obviously, we won't be using the same methods that we would with an _adult_ -” Miss Carter began condescendingly when she was interrupted by the irate mother.

“Are you serious? I will not have her studying at the same place my son is. She's _dangerous_!”

At that, a strange spark flickered in Erwin's chest. He remembered a shout, not too long ago, directed at Levi. _He's dangerous!_

Erwin turned to the Principal. “Do you know why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you know why she attacked him?”

The Principal opened her file again. “The teacher chaperoning her said she flew into a rage-”

“And no one asked her why?”

Mikasa squirmed again, like she was trying to curl up into a little ball right there on Erwin's lap. Reining in his anger, he looked down at her and asked her softly, “Mikasa? Why did you do it?” Mikasa looked up at him, her grey eyes still wide and glimmering. He squeezed her hands gently. “I just want to understand.”

“He pinched my butt.”

Both women, who had their mouths open as if to speak, froze. Erwin blinked down at his daughter, controlling his reaction with every ounce of willpower he possessed. “Can you tell me from the start?”

Mikasa bit her lip, then began reluctantly, “I was walking with Feroz when Kurt came behind me and pinched my butt. I pushed him and he tried to hit me so I hit him first.” She paused. “Then they pulled me away.”

“You see?” The mother said, almost triumphantly. “She's like a wild animal!”

Erwin ignored her, and pulled his daughter into a brief, warm hug. “It's okay,” he whispered into her ear. “You're not in trouble.”

A small line appeared between Miss Carter's perfect brows. “Mr. Smith, we must discuss the appropriate measures-”

“Yes.” Erwin looked up at her. “What will be done with the boy?”

The mother let out an outraged gasp, while the Principal looked genuinely confused. “Kurt Woermann has been injured-”

“Because he touched my daughter without her consent.” Erwin nodded. “Surely his behaviour-”

“ _Consent_? They're kids for chrissakes!”

“You just said that the right morals can be inculcated in a child from a young age,” Erwin addressed Miss Carter. “Surely consent is one of those morals?”

“I…” Miss Carter shuffled her papers. Erwin wondered absently if everyone in the school had this nervous tic. “Kurt was clearly trying to engage Mikasa in playing with him, Mr. Smith. It was just a childish manner of expressing his interest.”

Erwin leaned back. “I see. So he is old enough to express interest but not old enough to comprehend consent?”

Miss Carter sighed. “Mikasa was being aggressive, Mr. Smith, and she is liable for some disciplinary action. We will be suspending her for a day-”

The mother let out a furious “A _day_?!” while Erwin stood up abruptly, still holding Mikasa close to his chest. “Don't bother. I am withdrawing Mikasa from this school.”

Miss Carter blinked rapidly. “Mr. Smith-”

“I will return to deal with the paperwork, but for now, I am taking her home. Good day.” He nodded curtly at both women and strode out of the office.

Mikasa still clutched onto him, her face pressed to his shoulder. As he left the office, she squirmed again, and he asked her, concerned, “What is it, lovely?”

She let out a little sigh. “My hands are dirty.”

He snorted lightly; Levi would be proud. He duly led her to the bathroom, and collected her things while she washed her hands. When she returned, she lifted her arms, clearly asking to be picked up. He complied without comment but felt his anxiety rise.

“Hey,” he whispered into her silky hair. “Are you alright? Does anything hurt?”

She shook her head, her button nose rubbing against his neck. “My hand hurt when I hit him but not anymore.”

“We'll still have a look at it when we go home, okay?”

“Okay.” A pause, and then she mumbled into his skin, “I'm sorry.”

He frowned. “Why are _you_ sorry, pet?”

Her voice was muffled but her words were clear. “You had to leave work because of me.”

She was astounding. She had been in his life for more than a year now and still she managed to surprise him in a different way every single day. His heart twisted with the new discovery, with the sudden knowledge that she had made her place in it permanently, a place that no one and nothing could ever shake.

He could barely hide the tremor in his voice. “There's nothing to apologize for, my love.” He kissed her head again, more fervently. “I'd rather be here than anywhere else.”

He knew now that he loved her more than he could love anyone else.

They were nearing the main doors and Erwin had to pull himself back to the mundane present in order to figure out transport. But before he could fish for his phone in his pocket, he saw a silver hatchback park haphazardly on the curb directly opposite the doors. A smile spread unbidden across his face and he strode outside, just as a figure jumped out of the car and slammed the door hurriedly.

“Erwin!”

Several parents were already outside waiting to pick up their kids and so there was an abundance of staring as Levi hurried down the path towards them, his sleeve tattoos in full display. As usual, he ignored them completely.

“What happened? Is she alright? Are you alright, Mikasa? Are you hurt?” Wordlessly, Erwin handed the girl over to him, guessing correctly that that was exactly what Levi needed.

“I'm fine. You're fussing again,” Mikasa noted as Levi inspected her thoroughly, running his fingers through her hair and squinting at her hands.

Erwin laughed. “Hush, now. Let him fuss, he's been worried.”

“You're going to clean when we go home, aren't you?” Mikasa sighed.

Levi frowned in her face. “Shut up, smarty pants.” He let her down on the ground, but Erwin noticed that he still held onto her hand. “Come on, let's go.” He hesitated and looked up at him.

Erwin answered the unspoken question by curling an arm around his shoulder. “I'm coming too. No point going back now.”

As always, Levi's delight was muted, only expressly shown in his sparkling eyes. “Good.”

They walked together to the car, where Erwin offered to drive so that Levi could sit next to Mikasa's car seat in the back. Mikasa hated being alone in the back.

“So what really happened?” Levi asked as Erwin started the car. It was all explained in under a minute, and when Erwin was done, Levi looked earnestly at their daughter. “Mikasa?”

“Yes?” She looked slightly worried.

“You did good.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

Levi smirked. “Hell yeah, kid. Don't ever let anyone touch you if you don't want them to, you hear me?”

A rare smile appeared on her face. “Okay.”

Erwin beamed at their reflection in the rearview mirror, then remembered something. “Hang on. Principal Carter said you verbally abused someone, pet?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you said some bad words to someone.”

“Oh. That.” Her face was at its emotionless best. Looking out the window, she said nonchalantly, “Miss Carina pulled me away from Kurt and said it was my fault. So I said that was bullshit and called her an idiot.”

Levi burst into laughter while Erwin could only manage a dismayed “Mikasa!”

“What, it's true!”

“She's right, Erwin, that definitely was some high-level bullshitting by Miss Carina.”

Erwin did not miss the discreet fist bump the two of them shared. He sighed loudly. “When we go home, we're all going to have a long conversation about _language_.”

“I know three,” Mikasa said helpfully.

“Whoops, that's one more than you, Erwin, she wins.”

“The two of you are impossible.”

Mikasa actually giggled, and Erwin had to fight to hide his smile.

The rest of the day passed in a whirl of activity. Erwin took quite some time to send many time-sensitive work emails while Mikasa hung out at the café with Levi. For dinner, they decided to splurge on pizzas and ice cream (something Erwin pushed under emergency expenses without hesitation), and after an eventful half hour with the television, it was finally bedtime.

Both Erwin and Levi chose to tuck her in tonight. The exhaustion was apparent in all of them, in their big yawns and sleepy smiles. And then, while Levi made a show of checking her closet for monsters and Erwin smoothened her covers, Mikasa dropped her second heartache bomb of the day.

“Alright, you're all set,” Erwin said, as cheerfully as he could muster behind a yawn. “Good night, little blossom.”

“Good night, dad.”

Erwin froze, and so did Levi, who had been adjusting her window curtains. Erwin stared at her, uncertain if he should call attention to it, scared that if he did, she would take it back.

But the precocious girl blinked sleepily up at him. “I can call you dad, right?”

His jaw trembled. “Of _course_ , my lovely.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Erwin placed another kiss on her forehead. He heard Levi come to stand right behind him, and Mikasa looked up at him. Both Ackermans stared at each other for a long moment.

“Can I call _you_ papa?”

Levi knelt right beside her bed and shrugged stiffly. “If you like.”

“Do _you_ like it?”

Levi grasped one of her tiny fists and pressed it gently to his lips. “I like it very much.”

She nodded again matter-of-factly. “Okay.”

Levi smiled one of his rare smiles at her. “Good night, squirt.”

“Good night, papa.”

They were silent as they closed the door halfway and went back to the lounge. Wordlessly, Levi went straight for the corner cabinet and pulled out a bottle of scotch. When their drinks were ready, they clinked their glasses and took a long sip. Only then did Levi let out a heavily emotional “ _Fuck._ ”

“I'll say,” Erwin said drily. “I think I'm going to cry.”

“I think I might kill someone for her.”

Erwin snorted. “ _I_ think I might take a bullet for her.”

Levi glanced slyly up at him. “I thought you said you would take a bullet for _me._ ”

Erwin let out a shaky chuckle. “Sorry, darling, you're second in line now. Priorities have changed.”

Levi leaned back onto his shoulder with a sigh. “Damn right, they have.” After a small pause, he mumbled, “I'm sorry about today.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was supposed to be there. I was supposed to handle it. You were interrupted at work.”

Erwin nudged closer to him. “Levi, neither of you are _ever_ an interruption.” He leaned into him. “Ever.”

Levi let out a small sigh, then a soft chuckle. “Shit. I think I'm gonna cry too.”

“A day of miracles indeed.”

“Shut up.”

They finally kissed then, the deep, warm, lazy kind that made Erwin feel lighter, like he had a warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around him. All the stress and the annoyances of the day -the meeting, the expenses, the dangerous mentalities of otherwise rational people -all of it receded into a far corner of his mind. All that mattered was this moment, the warmth of Levi next to him, and that of Mikasa's sleepy smile still fresh in his memory. All that mattered were the only two people in the world he would take a bullet for.

“I won't lie, I'm glad she's out of that place,” Levi commented as he pulled down the covers of their bed a few minutes later. “Full of snobby fucking shits.”

Erwin sighed as he replaced his toothbrush and turned off the lights in their ensuite. “The place had good reviews.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now we can send her someplace closer, yeah?”

“Well.” Erwin turned off the lights and snuggled into the covers, where Levi promptly hooked one leg around his. “You know there's only one place we can send her to.”

A pause. Then - “No. _Fuck_ no.”

Erwin grinned in the dark and leaned his chin into Levi's hair. “Fuck _yes_.”

“Erwin, she already spends enough time with that brat. Imagine what spending all day with him will do to her.”

“Eren's a good kid.”

“He's a fucking force of nature.”

“If anyone can handle him, it's Mikasa. She's the immovable object to his unstoppable force.”

“And I'm the poor sod dealing with the collateral damage.”

Erwin laughed soundlessly. “It's nothing humanity's strongest can't handle.”

Levi pressed his nose into Erwin's neck in a move strongly reminiscent of his adopted daughter. “Ugh, your sorry ass is _shit_ at flattery.”

“You still married this sorry ass.”

“Mm, I did, didn't I?” His arm snaked around his waist. “Guess I got distracted by how _fine_ this ass really is.”

Grinning, Erwin leaned into the kiss he knew was waiting for him. “Flatterer.”

And somewhere in the middle of all the snark and the cuddling and the ass-pinching, they both drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Eruri men taking none of that rape culture bullshit, hell yeah.
> 
> I love getting Mikasa and Levi to interact with each other, canon or otherwise. The amount of Ackersnark™ is amazing.
> 
> As to her presence in their household, she's been orphaned and adopted by Levi, technically, and Erwin is her dad by virtue of being Levi's husband. Or something like that. Whatever. They're together and that's all that matters, kay?
> 
> Levi either runs or works at a café, idek. I just really, really wanted some nice happy setting for these three because canon is tearing my heart into pieces, guys.
> 
> Hope you liked it, and thanks for reading!


End file.
